The present invention relates to a new and useful process and construction for a ball earring.
It is common in the jewelry field to solder an ear wire consisting of a cylindrical rod or pin to a domed cup prior to soldering the wire and cup combination to the ball to form a ball earring.
The process involves stamping a dome shaped circular blank from a sheet of metal such as gold. This step is known as a pad blanking. A circular hole is then made within the blank for receiving an ear wire in the form of a cylindrical rod or pin. The pin is inserted into the hole in a staking operation and with a solder flushed surface on the dome opposite the side from which the pin is inserted. The dome is clad with solder. The combined pin and domed cup is then soldered to an ornament, which in the case of a ball earring, is a hollow ball.
This conventional process requires several major and distinct steps before attachment of an ornament. First, the construction of the domed cup involves cutting and shaping the cup, then piercing the cup. Second, the post is cut to length and then machined to form a bullet-shaped end and nut-engaging groove near the end. Third, the attachment of the post to the cup is completed. Finally, a step of soldering the assembly of the cup and post to the ball is completed.